Mrs Clause?
by Tecnokitty
Summary: A take on how such a rough-and-tumble Santa would come about a Mrs. Clause. North X OC. Kplus should be fine, but I rated it T just in case. One-shot.


**(A/N: Yeah, I own nothing. Except for Layla. And yes, I did look up the "proper" name for Mrs. Clause. Each place I looked gave me a different answer. So I let Mrs. Clause choose from the answers I found.)**

Mrs. Clause?

"Hey, Jack!" North boomed, waving one of his meaty arms. The naughty list peered from under his sleeve. "Long time no see! Winter coming good? You know we need a white Christmas."

Jack Frost grinned. It had already been almost a year since they brought down Pitch Black's nightmare army. Sometimes he still had a hard time believing that he really became a Guardian. Or that he could get into Santa's Workshop at the North Pole unhindered. Granted, he didn't really have the time, what with the cleaning up after Pitch's destruction, but today he had some time and decided to drop by.

"It's coming great! I get to see Jamie and the others again in a month or so." Jack shrugged. "I just had some free time and decided I would, you know, drop by…"

North laughed. "And look around? Go right ahead! But don't break anything. Christmas is only a few months away."

"I won't!" Before North could respond, Jack swung himself over the railing.

"And I doubt that." North crossed his arms and glanced toward the familiar shadow. "Watch him."

Bright green eyes glinted at him. "No problem, dear."

ooo000ooo

Laughing, Jack hit a hockey puck with the top of his staff. The yetis shouted and growled protests, trying to catch it before it did too much damage. Jack coated it in black ice so they couldn't. It slipped through several claws before bouncing off Phil's stomach. From there, it proceeded to hit a table with a pyramid of porcelain dolls.

North was going to _kill_ him.

Before he could react, something whistled past his ear. Two arrows with a thin net strung between them planted into the wall. Four more arrows followed in rapid succession, sealing the net against the wall. Not a single doll escaped, though one hung halfway out.

Those arrows were familiar to Jack. He got caught in similar nets in his several attempts to break in. That material looked thin, but surprisingly strong. And ice-proof. The yetis always needed to let him out. He hung, bored, for several hours on several occasions.

Jack turned toward the source of the arrows. Nobody. Not even the shadowy figure he saw before. How in the world-?

At the feel of something landing next to him, he turned abruptly. A cloaked figure straightened. He knew it as the shadowy figure who always caught him before he could sneak past the yetis.

Calloused hands reached to pull the cloaks hood back. "Well met, Jack Frost."

What the hood revealed was nothing like Jack expected. He didn't really know what to expect, but it sure didn't even come close to what stood in front of him. A woman with salt-and-pepper hair braided into a crown around her head and a few wrinkles around her sparkling green eyes smiled at him. She smelled like cinnamon. Arrows identical to the ones sticking out of the wall rested in the quiver slung over her back. In her hand she held a beautifully carved bow.

Phil smiled smugly at Jack. A door nearby opened. North stepped into the hall. His eyes swept across the scene. A smile crept up onto his face.

"Ah, Jack, I thought I heard you out here." He said. "I see you've met my wife."

Jack's jaw hit the floor. Both North and the woman laughed. Her laugh sounded rougher than Jack expected.

"You should see your face!" North roared, clutching his belly.

"Wait, wait, wait, your wife?" Jack backed up a step, his hands in the air. "You're actually _married_?"

The woman threw her head back and laughed harder. "Haven't you heard any of the stories? Mrs. Clause is mentioned in many of them."

"But- but the Santa mentioned is happy and jolly." Jack argued.

"I am happy and jolly." North reminded, still laughing.

"Yeah, but you wield two swords and have tattoos. The stories say nothing about that. And Mrs. Clause is also fat and happy and jolly and likes baking cookies."

The woman put one hand on her hip. "I am happy and jolly and I like to bake. I've also gained some pudge since marrying him. Actually, the stories don't _say_ that she's fat, the pictures show it. Loophole. And the fact that I happen to be good at stealth and archery has nothing to do with it, much like Nick's swords and tattoos."

"But… but…" Jack stuttered.

"Here, come inside. Layla has cookies in the oven. We can tell you the story of how we met." North walked down the hall a short way and opened another door.

Layla entered first. Jack followed. Behind them, North gently closed the door.

They were in a sitting room. A fire danced in a large, brick fireplace. Surrounding the fireplace in a half-circle sat a sofa with end tables on either side, two large, comfortable looking chairs, and assorted cushions on the floor. Compared to the crazy of the rest of the place, it felt very peaceful, cozy, and even warm. Giant windows on either side of the fireplace looked over the snowy mountains. Along the walls of the room sat shelves and cabinets full of books and a few odds and ends. Two doorways lined by those shelves on opposite sides of the room led to other equally cozy rooms. To the right was a dining room and, beyond that, he could barely see a kitchen. From that direction came the lovely scent of baking cookies. Layla disappeared through that door. The door to the left sat partially closed, but from what Jack could see, it was a bedroom.

North plopped down on the sofa. It groaned slightly under his weight. "Have a seat, Jack, anywhere you like."

Hesitantly, Jack looked at the chair next to North. It looked almost _too_ fluffy and comfortable, like it would absorb him if he sat on it. Hesitantly, he sat down, and relaxed. By far, it was the comfiest chair he had ever sat in.

"Shoulda warned you, you sink in that chair." North chuckled.

"It's so comfy, though."

Layla swept back into the room. Her cloak gone; she wore an embroidered apron over her simple shirt and pants. The embroidery decorated the apron with Christmas and snow patterns, though her shirt and pants were plain. All of it was made from the same type of fabric that North's clothes were made from. In between oven mitts that matched her apron, she held a steaming plate of cookies. Placing the plate on the table between North and Jack, she whisked back into the kitchen.

North grabbed one, bit into it, and sighed with contentment. "Go ahead, Jack, try one. I guarantee you it'll stay warm. Even in your hands."

Jack picked one up. It did stay warm in his hand. Almost like touching somebodies skin; he leeched the heat, but it didn't stop being warm. He bit into it. In his mouth and all the way down to his stomach, it stayed warm. A sensation he wasn't sure if he liked or not. Finally, in his stomach, it cooled and he felt normal again.

He took another bite. The cookie tasted… well, it was the best he ever ate.

Again, Layla appeared silently. In her hands she held three glasses of eggnog. She placed a glass next to North, and one next to Jack. Taking a cookie in her free hand, she carried the third glass to the other side of the sofa, where she sat next to North.

"Thanks for the cookies, dear. They're amazing, as usual." North said, already on his third, as he bent to kiss his wife's temple.

Jack made a disgusted face, sticking out his tongue. Both of them laughed.

"You just wait, Jack Frost." Layla told him. "You may be eternally a teenager, but even teenagers fall in love. What age did you die, 17?"

"Yeah, though I was almost 18." He rolled his eyes. "But me? Fall in love? Pfft."

"Well, people get married at 18, and it used to be younger. Have you ever heard of Romeo and Juliet? They were quite young and they fell deeply in love." She sipped her eggnog almost delicately.

"Then they died. No thanks." Jack grabbed another cookie. "These are really good, Mrs.… St. North? Is that right?"

"Oh, please, Layla. Mrs. makes me sound old."

North chuckled. "That's because you are."

Lightning-fast, one of Layla's hands shot out. Still chuckling, North tried to dodge. A resounding _slap!_ made Jack wince.

Despite the red on his arm through the tattoo, North didn't seem fazed. "Even after all these years, that still stings."

Layla's expression didn't lose its pleasantry. "After all these years, you would think that you would learn. But we did not invite Jack here to have him watch us banter."

"Very true." North turned to their guest. "So, Jack, would you like to hear the story of how we met?"

Jack shrugged, taking another cookie. "Might as well. I'm already here."

North chuckled again. "Well, this was about a century after we vanquished Pitch and ended the Dark Ages. This place was mostly built, thanks to the yetis. Bunny had a good share of his built, Sandy's was completely done, or only a year or two away from completion, but Tooth was having issues with hers. As you can imagine, her little fairies can't build very much very fast.

"Anyway, Pitch was starting to show his face again-"

"What? I thought you had said that the last time was only the second time you had seen Pitch." Jack sprayed some cookie crumbs as he spoke.

"No," North said, shaking his head. "That was the second time he did a massive attack that required all four of us. He tries to do small attacks all the time. You will see him and have to fight him, but not need all of us. All those attacks are for him is trying to reclaim a small amount of territory, or lower our belief base, or even wound us. Small things, but we probably won't see him for a while. It'll take time for him to recover.

"Like I was saying before, we starting to see Pitch again. It was Christmas Eve, and he was doing his best to try and destroy several small villages in one area. He wanted my grip on Christmas to slip, if only in a small area. I don't know what prompted him to attack in Robin Hood's territory, though. You've heard of Robin Hood, right?"

Jack nodded.

"Good, well, Pitch attacked villages under Robin Hood's protection. The orphan boys believed in us, and Pitch. Because of the closeness between adults and the boys in Robin's camp, all of the adults believed. So when the monsters began attacking the villages, back then they weren't quite like the literal nightmares we encountered last, the adults knew what they were. They were actually able to hold them off, knowing what they really were, until I got there.

"Now, normally I don't park my sleigh in the middle of a camp, but this was back when my sleigh really was old, small, and rickety. More importantly, I needed to stop Pitch from ruining Christmas. Robin himself and a few of his Merry Men were at the camp, strategizing. My lovely Layla here was one of those Merry Men."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Let me guess. You two fell in love at first sight."

North and Layla looked at each other and exploded into laughter. Tears leaked from the corners of North's eyes. Layla fell sideways across her husband's lap. Jack stared at them, eating another cookie.

Several minutes later, when North could breathe enough to talk, he choked a few words out. "In love at first sight? Us?"

That set them both off again. Jack grabbed another cookie and settled back to wait.

Surprisingly, he only finished two more cookies before they calmed down. Layla calmed first, sitting up straight and wiping her eyes with her fingers. She took a few deep breaths and fanned her face. North calmed too. They shared a glance and stifled more laughter. At least they managed to keep it under control.

"No, Jack," Layla finally said. "We did not fall in love at first sight. In fact, I despised him at first sight. We had to defend our boys and the villages around us so an old, fat man could deliver toys one night a year. Then said old, fat man landed literally in the middle of things in a rickety sleigh pulled by none other than reindeer. I knew he was going to demand to be put at the center of things, which he did. I also knew Robin would trust him and assign him to me because I worked best with newbies. I know how to detect where they lack and make up for it. That's exactly what Robin did. So I had to go out into the field with an old, fat man who didn't know how to keep quiet."

North snorted. "And I was stuck with who I thought was the weakest member of the Merry Men. All the stories I heard were about Robin and his _men_. I heard nothing about a woman. In those times, a woman would either be famous and hunted, like Robin himself, or kept quiet and disguised that only one or two people would know her real identity. She was open about being a woman in camp, though she did disguise herself before we left. And she was _cranky_. I was stuck, wandering through the forest, clueless to where I was going because she kept disappearing. Sometimes, she would appear in my path, or drop out of a tree in front of me, and tell me I was going the wrong way. She annoyed me.

"I reached a field and had no idea where to go. I stopped; waited for her. And waited. And waited. And-"

"Meanwhile," Layla cut in, "I knew he was walking in the right direction and honestly expected him to walk straight through that corn field. I scouted ahead to kill any monsters so they wouldn't scare the fat man, and waited at the next turning point. And waited. I knew he was slow, but walking through or around that corn field shouldn't be that hard. It was only a small corn field, nothing big, only enough for a few families. So, afraid that I had lost him, and beyond annoyed, I raced back. I found him standing, arms crossed over his chest and staring at the corn like a dunce. That was the last straw. I was only able to say three words before he started shouting at me-"

"Those three words were: 'You fat loaf!' Of course I'm going to start shouting."

Jack nearly choked on his eggnog. He stifled coughs and laughter to hear the rest of the story.

North continued as if he didn't notice Jack choke and almost spill eggnog all over himself. "I also started calling her inappropriate names as well, but let's not get into that. The elves have sensitive ears. Our name-calling escalated into a shouting match. It caught Pitch's attention, and he attacked us. When she disappeared into the trees, I thought she abandoned me. In a rage, I pulled out my swords and began to slaughter his monsters. Once my rage died down, I noticed that there were arrows flying _everywhere_, except for at me. They hit the monsters with dead accuracy. They even hit Pitch; he had a hard time dissolving into shadows before they hit him. And the arrows never seemed to come from the same spot twice. I hated to admit it, but she was good."

Layla nodded her agreement. "I had to admit I was impressed when he pulled out his swords. He proved himself to be a force to be reckoned with and stronger than anybody I ever knew. I _hated_ admitting that I respected his skills, even to myself. Between the two of us, we had Pitch defeated in no time. On the way back to camp, we didn't talk, but we did walk together. In fact, when we had to fight the random monster left behind by Pitch, we worked rather seamlessly together. When we reached camp, he delivered presents to all of us, adults included, and left."

By that point, North's attention was completely on his wife. "Over the years, I delivered their presents first, before they all went to bed. Sometimes, Robin called me to help with a few missions. I was happy to help, it was better than constantly working on building this place. Robin always paired me up with Layla because we worked best together. Eventually, our respect for each other allowed us to become friends."

Pain filled Layla's eyes, and she looked away from both of them. "The years passed. All of our orphans grew up. Some joined the Merry Men, others attempted to rejoin society. Several fell in love and started their own families. Many of the Merry Men fell to bandit attacks that happened at the villages near us. Most of us were getting old anyway. When Robin died, the Merry Men disbanded, leaving only a handful of us. As the bandit attacks increased, more villagers left.

"I was killed in a bandit attack. They killed an entire family and set the house on fire. I cornered them inside, but they were trying to break a wall down to get out. In doing so, they were toppling the house into the one next to it. The only choice I had was to go inside and bring the entire building down on us. It was… terrifying, kicking the supports out and knowing that I would die too. The bandits didn't even know I was there, they thought I was still outside, and it didn't take long. They noticed me when I fell into their midst. The support I kicked out finally gave in. They didn't even have time to process who I was before the entire burning house fell on us. I felt intense burning and pain, then nothing."

Jack felt a weight for her lay on his heart. All he could remember from his death was the elation of saving his sister, then shock as the cold water took over his senses. From there, he simply fall asleep. He couldn't imagine what it would be like dying from a burning building falling on him.

"That was a few days before Christmas Eve." North's voice cut through Jack's thoughts. "This was before the tattoos, so I had an actual paper list that the yetis checked. Busy with the finishing touches on this place, I didn't check the list to see if anybody switched sides, or died, or were born. When I stopped by camp to deliver presents, only a couple people were left. The boys that were left were packing up to move on. They only stayed to see me one last time. I knew the villages were mostly abandoned, so that was no surprise to me. Layla's death was a surprise, and it hit me harder than I ever imagined. I felt devastated.

"Santa was not jolly and happy as he delivered presents that year. All I could think about was Layla was gone. I missed her; I missed everything about her. I remembered all the missions we went on, all the stupid little fights, all the times visiting camp and helping out, the talks and laughs we had around the community fire, all of it. It was then that I realized I fall in love with her.

"Over the few years before then, stories of a 'Mrs. Clause' started to pop up. I didn't know where they started, or how. That night, I despised those stories because they weren't true, and I believed they never would be. If I couldn't have Layla as my Mrs. Clause, I didn't want anybody.

"After all the presents were delivered, I found a wreath at the bottom of my bag. I returned to the village, and the burnt pile of wood that became Layla's grave. The wreath I laid on the ruins as a memorial for her. For the following years, every Christmas morning, I stopped and laid a wreath on her grave. Slowly, the forest reclaimed the abandoned village, starting with the burnt wood ruins of Layla's grave. Too many more years, and I would have no grave to lay a wreath on.

"On my fourth return, I found her, sitting on the ruins of the house. She stared up at Manny. She looked very similar to the last time I had seen her, except for a few changes. Most of the wrinkles she collected were gone, and the muscles that begun to sag with age were strong again. I was so excited to see her, and I knew why she was there. Enough people believed in Mrs. Clause that Manny brought her to life."

Layla gazed at the fire, her eyes distant. "Yes, I remember Manny. He told me that I am no longer Layla of the Merry Men. I didn't understand, but he didn't tell me anything more. He didn't tell me why I awoke on a pile of burnt, rotting wood, he didn't tell me where my weapons were, or why it snowed out and I didn't feel very cold, or why I felt stronger than I had in years. So, I wandered back to camp. Nobody was there. It was completely abandoned. I returned to the equally abandoned village where I woke up and tried to demand more answers from Manny.

"My memory was slightly patchy, but I remembered most things. I remembered Miriam refusing to marry Robin until he let me into his Merry Men. I even remembered dying, or at least I thought I died. But I couldn't remember things I had always cherished from my childhood. Like the way my and Miriam's shared bedroom looked.

"When I saw Nick, I was even more confused. Last I knew, it was at least a week before Christmas Eve and he didn't come before unless asked. Since Robin died, nobody knew how to contact him. I noticed Nick had tears in his eyes right before he swept me into a bear hug. At first, I was taken aback. We had never done more than accidently brush hands or arms before. But his presence was so comforting and safe among all the confusion and loss that I felt, I cried into his shoulder for quite a long time.

"Once I had finished, he explained to me what had happened, minus me going to be his Mrs. Clause. He took me to visit Tooth and repair my childhood memories. Her palace wasn't anywhere near done, but it was still quite the sight. Afterward, we stayed and helped Tooth build for a little while. I met Sandy and Bunny there when they dropped by to help too. During our time helping, he proposed to me. At first, I hesitated. But nothing felt so right, and it dawned on me that I loved him. I said yes. We had a very lovely wedding at Sandy's castle. And from there, it's history."

North and Layla gazed fondly at each other. Jack silently gagged. They didn't notice him. He turned his attention to contemplating the empty cookie plate and his empty glass. Layla turned her gaze back to Jack.

"You see, Jack?" she told him. "Love will come when you least expect it."

Jack slouched back in the chair, groaning and rolling his eyes to the ceiling. "No, I'm not going to fall in love anytime soon. Will you please stop harassing me about it? Besides, I need somebody who can handle _all_ winter _all_ the time. You two have cold resistance, but not enough for the likes of me. I might be able to handle being inside for a night every few days, but I prefer being outside. Anyway, that was a nice story, despite the harassment. Are any of the others married?"

North grinned, eyes sparkling as Jack spoke. He nodded once Jack had finished. "Yep, Bunny's actually married. Her name is Honey. Honey Bunnymund. She is the most timid creature you will ever meet. Except for when her home is threatened. You missed seeing her in a violent rage when Pitch attacked Easter."

That comment made Jack wince.

North put up his hands. "I didn't mean it that way."

"I know," Jack sighed. "I just… still feel bad about that."

"Well, don't. You saved all of us afterward. That more than makes up for it. Any-who, Honey Bunnymund. She and Bunny married in life, though if you saw him before you would have a hard time believing it." North snickered. " Yes, they both died in the same accident. After we vanquished Pitch, she transformed. Not much to their story, really."

"What about Sandy or Tooth?" Jack asked.

Layla cut in before North could respond. "Nope, neither are married. I think, though he doesn't agree," she jabbed her thumb at North, "that they may eventually end up together."

For the second time that day, Jack's jaw hit the floor. Sandy and Tooth? Together? What?

North slapped his leg and pointed at Jack. "See? He agrees with me!"

She shrugged. "It's just a feeling I have. They spend a moderate amount of time together, seeing as they both work at night. She understands his way of talking best, and he's willing to even listen to her go on about teeth. But I can't predict the future. I should get another batch of cookies in the oven and get those dolls down before the yetis try and fall again. They get testy when they have broken bones. Didn't you have something you wanted to show Jack, dear?"

"That's right!" North popped to his feet as Layla gracefully rose. "To my workshop, Jack!"

"Wait, Layla?" Jack half stood, eyes on her.

"Yes?" she stopped in the dining room doorway.

"What's your center?"

Layla laughed. "I'm not a Guardian, I don't need a center."

North snorted. "I think her center's patience. That's how she puts up with me all of the time. But, to my workshop!"


End file.
